Comic Opera BEHOLD THE MAN to Have World Premiere at Opera Las Vegas

An elderly woman's attempt to restore a long-forgotten fresco of Jesus backfires, instead going viral on social media. She faces online shame and community rejection, but finds redemption when curious tourists arrive, revitalizing the struggling town.

On September 30th and October 1st, Opera Las Vegas will kick off its 25th anniversary season with the world premiere of "Behold The Man," a contemporary comic opera based on the true story of Cecilia Giménez's botched restoration of the "Ecce Homo" fresco in Borja, Spain.

Developed by composer Paul Fowler and librettist Andrew Flack, the pair kept all-age mainstream audiences top-of-mind using tuneful pop, classical and Spanish folk styles to tell the story.

"Because so much of what happened was driven by exposure on the internet," says Fowler, "we wanted the music to assume the same relevance as the memes which appeared in response. So we integrated an array of musical styles and genres from Gregorian Chant to Korean K-Pop. This is hybrid music theatre like you've never seen or heard before."